


Can You Hear Me?

by Defining_Sanity



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Book Characters, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-01-08
Packaged: 2019-10-05 22:20:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17333447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Defining_Sanity/pseuds/Defining_Sanity
Summary: (Originally posted on fanfiction) When you are constantly being harrassed by friends and family, its important to treasure whatever small moments of quiet you can get. Hiccup values his rarely found solitude, even if its only found in the library across town. When someone steals his seat however, he has no idea how much louder his life is about to become.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> To anyone who decides to read this, I want to start off by saying hello!  
> Orginally I began writing this story about six years ago on tumblr, and managed to forget about it until recently. I was hoping by rewriting this fanfiction, I would get the chance to get back in to the groove of writing, and also improve my style a little bit. I'm not the best writer out there, but I hope that if their are any hijackers still out there, they get a kick out of this.

Hiccup had never considered himself a religious person. However, at the moment the boy would have been willing to pray to whatever God or Deity that was out there if it meant that it would just. Stop. Raining. 

He held his backpack over his head in a feeble attempt to keep himself dry, but as his sneakers found yet another puddle, the action proved to be useless. His thick auburn hair clung to his face, and It was with wet socks that he trudged up the library stairs, silently begging that his favorite study nook would be free. The spot in question was a large window seat on the second floor of the building that overlooked the garden below, and with its plush seating, it was in Hiccup’s expert opinion, the very best place to do his homework for a few hours. 

As Hiccup shouldered open the heavy library door, he found himself reflecting on the person who, for the past two weeks, had been making himself comfortable in Hiccup’s unofficial seat. It annoyed him some, as while it was true that he held no actual claim, and in reality there would be more than enough for two in the spacious window, Hiccup was a boy who valued his rarely found solitude. 

His sneakers made an unpleasant squelch as he padded past the librarian’s desk, and across the carpeted floor. A sound which prompted a low growl and a glare from the old man silently tap-tapping behind the outdated computer. Hiccup offered an apologetic smile, and tried to stifle his shoes by tip-toeing as quietly as possible. The boy crossed his fingers with every step up the stairs to the second floor, and once he was out of ear shot from the librarian, scuttled as quickly as his pride would allow to the biography section. Another reason as to why Hiccup loved this particular window seat out of the several others, was that it was seldom that biography section was occupied, especially so close to school being over. However, as luck would have it, all of his hoping had been for naught. There, sitting with a notebook delicately poised against his knees, was the very same boy whom Hiccup had hoped not to see.

Hiccup pursed his lips and furrowed his brow in a way that made the freckles on his forehead press together. He resisted the urge to stomp childishly the rest of the way over to the window, and almost aggressively shrugged his backpack to the floor. The books in the bag made a loud ‘thump’ as they hit the carpet, and Hiccup winced slightly, praying the frightening librarian downstairs wouldn’t investigate the sound. The stranger looked up over his knees and either oblivious or not caring to Hiccup’s obvious distain, flashed a smile that was all white teeth. His eyes, the colour of drinking chocolate crinkled at the corners, and Hiccup felt the fight leave him like a breath from his lungs. 

“Hi again.” Hiccup huffed, offering his own crooked smile. But before he had a chance to say anything else, the boy had bowed his head once more and stuck out his tongue as his pencil flew over the pages of his notebook. 

“Duly noted..” With a roll of his eyes, Hiccup crawled up on to the seat, and leaned back against the wall with his feet on the cushion in front of him. He gave himself a moment to relax, and pulled his cellphone out of the pocket of his damp jeans. Then, rather bored, Hiccup checked the cracked screen for any messages. There were a few staggering texts from Fishlegs, and one from what might have been Astrid, but judging from the spelling had more than likely been from her younger sister. Hiccup smiled to himself, reading over the mess of messages, and thought who he ought to reply to first, if at all, when he felt a small pressure on his leg. Looking up, the boy found a rather worn out looking notebook being held over his knees. He squinted his eyes, only then realizing that there was writing as well. Curiously, he followed the lines of the book upwards, to find the pale fingers holding it. The strange boy was grinning hopefully as he held out his notebook for Hiccup to take. 

Hiccup hesitated, but not wanting to be rude took the book in an unsteady hand and turned it the right way so he could read it. “Um… Thanks I guess.” He mumbled as his weary green eyes skimmed the page. There, in neat, almost cartoonish letters was only one word:

-Jack. 

“Jack…” Hiccup echoed softly to himself, peering over the pages. The boy nodded and pointed to himself animatedly, before turning his finger to Hiccup. 

Now, Hiccup was a clever boy, if his A average in school was anything to go by, but it still took him an embarrassingly long moment to process what simple question the boy, Jack apparently, was asking. Once he had connected the dots however, It was like a literal light bulb had gone off in his brain, and Hiccup’s eyes widened almost comically. “Oh!” He exclaimed, eyebrows shooting to the ceiling. Jack pressed a palm to his mouth to keep from laughing, and between wheezes whispered a stuttering “Shh-sh-sh!”

Hiccup clapped his hands over his own mouth, cheeks growing red as they always did when he was embarrassed. He strained his ears, listening intently for any sign of the soft footfalls of the librarian. When none were heard, Hiccup lowered his hands cautiously and darted his eyes left and right. “Name… Right..” He whispered softly. “Uh-” But before he could say anything, Jack rose a slender finger and uttered another soft “Shhhhh….”

“I can’t talk any softer.” He pleaded. His voice was as quiet as the beating of a butterfly’s wings, but still Jack’s finger remained poised, pressed to his thin lips in a silent demand, eyes serious. 

More than a little frustrated, Hiccup shrugged his shoulders and lifted his hands in an animated show of confusion. At this, Jack slid his notebook once more in the boy’s lap, and offered his pen with a cheeky grin.

‘You must be joking.’ Hiccup thought, taking the pen despite himself. All he had wanted was a quiet place to sit and study for a few hours, and yet here he was playing a game of twenty questions with a boy he only knew as The Seat Thief. 

Dutifully, Hiccup quickly wrote out his name and passed the notebook back to Jack, who arched a thick brow skeptically. Jack sounded the name out silently, as if tasting it on his tongue, and gave an airy chuckle. 

“It’s not my real name.” Hiccup whispered, only to be silenced again by Jack’s insistent shushing. Burying his face in his hands, the boy heaved a sigh louder than his words, and counted to 5 in his head. Never before had he met someone as dedicated to the rules of the library as Jack was. 

After those five seconds had passed, Hiccup felt rather than saw the notebook being held under his nose. When he opened his eyes, there it was, with another sentence written neatly under his name.

-I see you here all the time. What are you doing?

Hiccup read the words and peered back up at Jack. The boy was looking back at him with hopeful eyes as he waited for his reply. Hiccup took the book, but refused the pen this time as he had countless times seen Jack with the poor thing clutched between his teeth. Instead, Hiccup leaned over and pulled his backpack onto his lap before digging through the mess of textbooks and candy wrappers. 

By the time Hiccup had managed to find his one lone pencil, Jack had made himself comfortable sitting cross legged and seemed to be rather intrigued by the sight. He held his ankles, cocking his head in an attempt to read what was being written. His eyes took on a mischievous twinkle when his notebook was handed back to him, and he read over Hiccup’s reply.

 

-I was hoping to get my homework done.

 

‘Homework?’ Jack said lowly, more to himself than to Hiccup, who narrowed his eyes and hissed an indignant “SHH.” If Jack understood the irony, he paid it no mind as his head was already bowed while he wrote a quick ‘Boring.’

Hiccup read this and frowned, clearly hoping to get more of a response from his shushing. Not one to be discouraged however, he plucked the notebook from Jack’s hands and wrote out a hasty response.

-No talking, remember?

Jack pressed his hands to his mouth again, and stifled a giggle. His shoulders shook, and while Hiccup could not see his lips, it was clear how his eyes squinted that he was grinning madly. There was something about that smile that was contagious, as soon Hiccup himself was bent over his knees and trying hard not to laugh. 

In that moment, it was like the rain that has been pitter pattering against the glass had disappeared. In Jack’s muffled laughter there was a burst of sunshine, and the moisture in Hiccup’s shoes no longer bothered him. The boy squinted over knees and tried to hold his breath in an attempt to keep his giggles at bay, but this only caused a large and rather undignified snort to shoot out from his throat. Hiccup’s fist found its way between his teeth, and he bit down, straining to hear for the librarian. It was nothing short of a miracle Hiccup decided, that they didn’t get kicked out that day. 

Once the pair had calmed themselves, Jack lowered his hands, and mouthed a silent ‘Sorry.’ Hiccup watched as the boy’s right hand made a fist and drew a small circle over his heart. There was something familiar about that action, but Hiccup could not place his finger on what it was. 

For the first time perhaps, Hiccup properly took in Jack’s features. Even sitting down he could tell the boy was tall, all long spidery limbs and skinny body. His skin was pale, with a light dusting of freckles that danced over his upturned nose, and the warmest brown eyes that Hiccup had ever seen. His hair, a light silver white colour like the snow they were bound to see in the next few months, made it hard to place an exact age; but if the dark coloured roots were anything to go by, Hiccup would have placed his age to be no more than eighteen. 

Jack was watching him now, and flashed a cheeky wink when their eyes met, the tip of his pink tongue peeking out between his lips as he did so. Hiccup didn’t know why, but being caught staring brought a light flush to his cheeks and he suddenly felt like a stupid school girl. In order to preserve his pride, the boy did the first thing he thought of, and stuck out his own tongue in retaliation.

Perhaps it was not the most mature response, but the pair clearly had marked themselves as not the most mature period. Jack let out another breathy chuckle through his nose, and pulled his notebook back up into his lap. His pen flew over the page and not even a full minute had passed before he thrust the pages back into Hiccup’s now waiting hands.

-I’m supposed to be doing homework too.

He wrote, rather sheepishly. Hiccup peered up at him and scribbled a quick response. 

-And why aren’t you?

Jack now seemed bashful, though his smile still played on his lips. He rubbed the back of his neck, and offered a small shrug before taking his book back. It was like this that they communicated, pages being passed between them with only the sound of pencil scratches announcing their words.

-Its boring. I spend 6 hours in school, why should I have to take it home with me?

-Because it helps you learn.

-You know what else was supposed to help you? Cocaine. Look up old timey medicine they used to put it in there 

Hiccup snorted out another laugh and tossed his head to look out the window rather than Jack.

-They did not put cocaine in medicine.

-Yes they did

It was a ridiculous conversation, Hiccup would be the first to admit, but it was a pleasant one nonetheless. While the boy was hardly lonely, Hiccup was not the sort to go out and make friends on his own. They always had a way of waltzing in to his life without his say, and this was exactly what happened with Jack. The pair prattled on to each other, talking about everything and nothing at the same time, like there was nothing outside those stone library walls. Even though no words were exchanged, for the first time, Hiccup didn’t notice the silence.

Hours had passed before there was a muted flash coming from the large pocket of Jack’s hoodie. The boy paused, as if processing, and then reached into his pocket to retrieve his phone. Hiccup squinted against the light, but Jack seemed to be rather unperturbed. Hiccup watched as he pursed his lips, turning off the light and then began tapping away at the screen. Just like that, the spell seemed to be broken, and Hiccup realized just how dark it had become outside. His eyes widened, realizing that despite the cramp in his hand, he had not even begun his homework. He dragged his hands over his face, pulling his cheeks down as he thought of how late he would have to stay up to finish his work. 

He was pulled from his stupor by a phone being held under his nose. The notes app had been pulled up, and typed had been the simple message: ‘I have to go now my brother is here’

Hiccup nodded simply and flashed a thumbs up, already collecting his backpack from the floor. He too was due to be home soon, and was not about to miss dinner. Perhaps if he was lucky he could use dinner to bribe Fishlegs into letting him copy his homework. It wouldn’t have been the first time that that particular stunt had worked.

By the time he had gathered all his belongings, Jack was already on his feet and stretching his gangly arms above his head. His eyes squinted shut as he arched his back, waiting for the satisfying ‘pop’ to be heard. When Hiccup stood as well, he could see that Jack was easily half a head taller than himself. Hiccup bit back a frown, displeased that his assumptions had been correct and he had found yet another person that dwarfed him. Not that that was a particularly hard thing to do, as at only a modest five feet five inches Hiccup had earned the nickname ‘runt.’

Jack rose his right hand in a curious thumbs up that started at his ear, and moved forward to his chin. He mouthed the word ‘Tomorrow’ and shot Hiccup a hopeful grin that Hiccup returned with a nod. It was not like he had many other plans during the short few hours between school and home. They would meet tomorrow again for sure, and this time Hiccup vowed he would finish his homework. 

 

 

****

 

When Hiccup arrived home later that evening, he was welcomed to the heady aroma of roasted tomatoes and spices. The scent itself warmed him from the inside, and made him forget for a moment the clothes that clung to his skin. He toed off his wet shoes, and followed the smell into the kitchen, leaving damp footprints in his wake.

“You’re not my mother.” Was the first thing out of his mouth when he entered the kitchen. 

“Astute observation.” Came the quick reply, which shut down any plans of bribery in Hiccup’s mind. He watched his friend flip a chicken breast in the pan at the stove, and wasted no time attaching himself to Fishlegs’ hip. 

“My friend..” Hiccup moaned, pressing his head to his neighbour’s shoulder. “What are you doing here?” 

Fishlegs clicked his tongue and peered over the rim of his thick bottle cap glasses. Hiccup noticed that one of the lenses had gained a crack in them, but said nothing on it as he knew the lanky boy was in charge of his dinner. “I lost my house key again, and yer mum took pity on me and invited me in.”

Hiccup nodded, watching the oil sizzle in the pan. “I should have known by the lack of smoke that she wasn’t cooking.”

“Exactly why you should be happy to see me.” Fishlegs slipped the spatula under the chicken breast and used to slide it onto an awaiting plate. “She was planning on trying a new recipe.”

“Yikes.” Hiccup hissed, taking a step away from the stove. His mother, while a kind hearted and brilliant woman, had next to no culinary prowess. “Where is she anyway?”

Fishlegs shrugged his shoulders and handed Hiccup a plate. “Upstairs somewhere? All I know is she wanted me to tell you to set the table when you came home.”

Hiccup took the plate with a wary hum. “And am I to assume that since you’re out in the kitchen and not hiding in my room that my dad is working late?” Despite his large size, there were very few things that Fishlegs was not afraid of, Hiccup’s father especially. The man had not done anything to be considered cruel to the boy, but his curt and rather gruff demeanor had a way of instilling fear into most anyone. And if it was not his personality, it was his staggering six feet and five inches of height toppled with his fiery red mane of a beard that did the job for him. Fishlegs nodded, his dark curls bobbing against his forehead as he did so.

“Ah, yeah.” He pushed his hair back with the palm of his hand. “Should be here in about an hour I think it was?”

Hiccup hummed again and picked up the chicken breast with his bare hand. “Did you know they used to put cocaine in old timey medicine?” He took a bite, hissing as the heat burned his tongue. 

“They did not.” Fishlegs replied as he flipped another chicken breast in the pan. “Pretty sure they put weed or something in cough syrup though.”  
“That’s what I thought too, well, not the weed part, but apparently they used to put cocaine in medicine. Jack went off on a tangent about it for a while?”

“Jack?” Fishlegs glanced down at his friend, and wrinkled his nose when he realized Hiccup was eating with his hands. He had long since memorized every cupboard and drawer in the Haddock household, and wasted no time fishing out a fork and knife for Hiccup. “Are we making other friends now? We just cleared the paper work on Astrid, and already you’re bringing more into our circle.

“Well, if we’re being honest it’s more like a square.” Hiccup drew a square in the air with his knife, and set his plate on the counter. “You, me, Astrid and Camikazi. Four. And I’d hardly call us friends. He’s the guy I told you who kept stealing my window seat.”

“Yes but if you bring in more, that’d make us a polygon-”

“Can we be a pentagram instead? That sounds cooler.”

“Aha! So you admit it!” Fishlegs turned off the burner and moved the pan to the sink. “You’re trying to bring in new friends without telling me again. I’m hurt.”

Hiccup rolled his eyes and abandoned his plate so he could instead begin to set the table. He gathered the cutlery and pointed a fork in his friend’s direction. “Am not, and even if I did, I doubt he’d be able to replace you. You’re the only one I can think of who will climb through my window just to steal my DS.”

“Please. I will climb through your window for more than just your cruddy DS.” As he spoke, Fishlegs began to transfer the plates of chicken and vegetables to the embarrassingly small kitchen table. Really, there was not much room for more than two, but with Hiccup’s father at work, and his mother still busy upstairs, there was hardly a reason to use the much larger table in the dining room. “So did you make out?”

Hiccup spluttered, kicked at his friend’s leg. “I did not make out with the person I was only just properly introduced to today!”

“So you would make out with him.”

“I am not making out with anybody!”

“Not even me?”

“Ew! Especially not you!” 

Fishlegs was cackling by now, his cheeks red and shoulders shaking. “You’ve hurt my feelings.”

The last plate to meet the table was Hiccup’s and the boy was all too happy to continue eating. His stomach growled pathetically, and shut down his will to argue. Instead, he stuck out his tongue and cast a halfhearted glare across the table as Fishlegs helped himself to a generous amount of vegetables. There was a rare moment of silence between them as Hiccup focused on wolfing down his food as if he were a starving man. Fishlegs watched this in mild disgust, but opted on not saying anything, as it rarely did much in the past.

Once his plate was empty, Hiccup continued. “I dunno, the guy is weird.”

“What guy?” Fishlegs asked, still hardly half way through his chicken breast. Hiccup helped himself to a lonely looking carrot on his friend’s plate, ignoring the still steaming bowl of vegetables in front of him. “The library guy?”

Hiccup nodded, chewing thoughtfully. “He didn’t want to talk period, and made me write to communicate with him.”

“Taking into consideration the Hairy Scary Librarian, that sounds fair to me.” When Hiccup reached over again, Fishlegs gave up and pushed his plate across the table, where it was graciously accepted. 

“Yeah but…” Hiccup took a fork full of what must have been a bell pepper, though he barely tasted it to find out. “I dunno. It was weird. Who goes out of their way to write instead of whisper?”

“People who don’t want to test fate?” Fishlegs folded his arms on the table and rested his chin lazily on his arms. He blinked slowly before reaching over and plucking a green bean out of the bowl. “Or maybe he’s a lizard person and has no tongue.”

“Lizards have tongues. Cute ones.”

“Weird ones.”

“You’re weird.”

“Maybe he’s mute?”

Hiccup hummed, considering this while Fishlegs walked his fingers back over to what was once his plate. He gingerly gripped the rim, and pulled it back towards himself so he could at last finish his chicken. “No…” Hiccup mused, stabbing his fork down on empty air. When he realized the plate was gone, he snatched it back from his friend. “I heard him talk, but….”  
“But?” Fishlegs pressed, giving up on his dinner. There was another pause, while Hiccup furrowed his brows and glared down at a spot on the table. He couldn’t place where the stain had come from, but it was shaped like a boot and had begun to bother him. He scratched at the surface with his finger nail, while Fishlegs watched from over his glasses. Then, it was like a switch had been flipped and Hiccup’s eyes widened.

“Shit.”

“What?”

“I think I was talking to a deaf kid.”


	2. Chapter 2

Hiccup stood outside the library doors for far longer than he would have liked to admit. The sun warmed his shoulders as he stared at the tarnished wood, picking shapes out of the grains and lines. He was not completely positive as to why he felt so insecure about talking to Jack again, but the thought of talking to someone who may very well be deaf made his stomach twist in uncomfortable knots. 

Perhaps it was Fishlegs’ paranoia that was rubbing off on him again. His friend always had leaned towards the side of pessimism. Hiccup could recall the night before, how as he copied down math equations the lanky boy had sprawled on his bed and listed off the ways things could go wrong.

“Best case scenario is he can hear, but he’s just weird about library rules. Worst case scenario is he can’t, and you end up doing something ignorant, and offend him.” Fishlegs said while his fingers tapped away at Hiccup’s well loved nintendo DS. “Although, he doesn’t have to be deaf for you to say something ignorant and-slash-or offensive.”

Hiccup rolled his eyes and twirled his pencil in the air as if it were a magic wand. “Thank you once again for your insight that I never asked for.”

“You like to ramble when you’re nervous, is what I’m saying.” Fishlegs pushed his glasses onto the top of his head so that it would pin his hair back. He squinted at the game screen, vision having not been improved by the lack of lenses. “But then again, you only just learned the guy’s name.”

It was true, he has only just learned Jack’s name- and if Fishlegs-scared-of-his-own-shadow-Ingerman thought he was being ridiculous, than surely he had nothing to worry about. 

Right?

It also helped that Hiccup chose to ignore the part where his friend all too happily explained the possibility of Jack throwing him out of the window if he said the wrong thing. That scenario did little to help his dwindling confidence.

Taking a deep breath, Hiccup folded up his umbrella and pushed open the library door. For while he was a cautious sort, he was also stubborn to a fault, and not one to let his nerves get the better of him.

The smell of the library greeted him like an old friend, and Hiccup inhaled deeply to savor the smell of old paper and ink. It offered a gentle reminder that no matter what happened, this old red brick building would always be there, radiating a soft comfort that nothing else could give. With its walls surrounding him, Hiccup walked with more confidence than he felt he had a few seconds ago. 

His feet made a soft shuffling sound as he peered through the aisles on the second floor, for the first time actively looking for the shock of silver-white hair he had grown used to seeing. Anticipation fluttered in his chest the way it always did when he explored something new, And small, nervous smile tugged at his lips when he saw Jack. The boy was curled around his notebook, his back to Hiccup. Hiccup hesitated, biting at his lower lip. His hand gently brushed the wooden shelf, and traced the plaque that read Biography as if it could tell him what to do, or even explain why it was he was nervous in the first place.

Oh Well. 

Hiccup took a deep breath, suddenly feeling foolish. He took a step forward, and said in a soft whisper: “Hey, Jack…”

Simple, two syllables. Hiccup gripped the straps of his backpack and watched, waiting to see if Jack would raise his head. When he didn’t, Hiccup tried again, this time a little bit louder, only to get the same lack of response. 

Oh.

For good measure, he dropped the whisper and asked as loud as he dared “Jack? Can you hear me?”

In the echoed silence Hiccup suddenly felt as if he stumbled on to some dark secret. Guilt wrapped its way around his ankles and kept him from moving forward any farther. His toes curled in his shoes, and he took a hesitant step backwards. The sudden feeling of wrongness weighed him down, pushing on his shoulders and whispering in his ear to leave. What if Jack didn’t want him to know, and now he had invaded his privacy? He knew it was wrong, and he had faced greater challenges in his life, but Hiccup felt the urge to leave before Jack saw him. 

It was stupid, he thought, determination the only thing keeping him from leaving. Hiccup traced with his eyes the outline of Jack’s shoes, laying discarded on the floor beside the window seat. They must have at some point been a vivid blue, but wear had turned them a dusty grey. They reminded Hiccup of his own runners, and how he too had worn his into the ground. It was such a silly thing, but in that second Hiccup was reminded of how only yesterday Jack’s lack of hearing had not even been on his mind. It was fine, he told himself. This could work.

When Hiccup slid into the window seat and dropped his backpack on to the ground, Jack glanced up. He smiled, flashing his wide grin that crinkled his eyes. Hiccup returned the gesture, but with a hesitance that Jack thankfully didn’t pick up on. 

Hiccup leaned against the window and gave a small wave, suddenly self-conscious of his own voice. The glass was cool against his back, and by the time he had settled, Jack had already flipped to a fresh page in his notebook and pushed the paper into Hiccup’s waiting lap. 

'You’re late.'

The words were slanted and bled in to each other in Jack’s haste to write. Hiccup checked his phone and frowned at the time. He had been unaware that Jack had even known his schedule, and was curious what else the boy had been keeping track of.

'Only by a few minutes.' 

He argued back, sliding the notebook back into Jack’s waiting hands. Jack read the note and stuck out his tongue before flashing his watch. The time read a little past four o’clock, only fifteen minutes past the time Hiccup usually arrived. 

'Normally you’re here only a few minutes after me. This time you made me wait almost 20 minutes. I almost thought you weren’t going to show.'

Hiccup let out a breathy chuckle. The feeling of guilt was back, tightening around his lungs as the realization of how right Jack nearly was. The boy scratched nervously at the faint scar on his chin and gave a lopsided smile. 

'Where else would I go after school? Home? And what would I do there? Play video games? Nah, the library is where it’s at.' 

Jack read this and laughed, his hand flying to his mouth as it did the day before. It was a warm, friendly sound that brought back a fraction of Hiccup’s confidence and helped ease his previous nerves. It was welcoming, and before he realized it Hiccup had twisted his body so that he was facing Jack, and crossed his legs comfortably. 

'You’re funny.'

Jack wrote, a smile still dancing on his lips. He flashed the page, but then his eyes widened briefly and he took the book back. 

'Not many people can write in sarcasm.'

As Hiccup read, he chuckled sheepishly. It was true, he had always had a sarcastic sense of humour, and he would be lying if he said it hadn’t gotten him in trouble in the past. Only a select few people he knew of could tolerate his sharp tongue in large doses, and it was strangely comforting to know that Jack took his words in stride.

'Consider it a talent of mine. I have many.'

'Such as?'

Jack glanced up at him hopefully, eyes practically shining with anticipation. The sight was strangely endearing, and Hiccup felt his cheeks heat up from the attention. He stared at the paper, suddenly intimidated by the light blue lines. Had he even any real talents, he wondered?  
Nosey, arent you? He began to write, only to aggressively scribble out the words as Jack watched curiously. Seconds ticked by, and it had been almost a full minute before Hiccup hesitantly handed back the notebook. 

'You’ll have to be at least a level 8 friend before you unlock my tragic back story.'

Jack read this and grinned. He held up the page for Hiccup to see, and pointed at the sentence mischievously. He didn’t have to write down a response for Hiccup to see the question dancing in his eyes, already silently accepting the challenge. Jack pulled his knees underneath himself, and leaned over, writing with the notebook on the seat in front of him.

'Then I guess I’ll have to work harder to be your friend.'

Friend.

Already the word was being offered to Hiccup, and not gently either. It was like a demand being forced into his hand, and Hiccup had already curled his fingers around it before he even realized what he was doing. He smiled then without realizing, tugging the book out from under Jack’s hand.

'I’ll warn you now, I’m really annoying.'

'Jokes on you, so am i. why do you think I’m here?'

Hiccup paused, taking the question seriously. He tossed a glance out the window as he thought, twirling his pencil in his hand. As he watched the wind make the leaves in the garden below sway gently, Hiccup began to wonder what it would be like to live in a world where he never heard the whistling of the wind, or to never fall asleep to the soothing sound of rain against the glass. He felt a twang of pity for Jack then, and flashed the boy an apologetic smile.

Jack did not seem to understand the gesture, and furrowed his brows as he returned smile with a nervous one of his own. His eyes flicked to his notebook, then back to Hiccup as if he could ask what was wrong with only a glance. Hiccup stopped twirling his pencil and held it above the notebook’s pages, thinking long and hard about what he was to write. He must have taken too long however, as before he knew it the book was snatched out from underneath him, and Jack was scribbling furiously. 

;Is something wrong?'

He asked, holding the book up for Hiccup to read. There was a tension in Jack’s shoulders that was not there before, and his fingers gripped the pages with a force that was not necessary. Hiccup tightened his hold on his pencil. The feeling of wrongness was back and seized his chest with icy hands. He should not have hesitated. He should not have come. Jack was staring at him, and the longer Hiccup waited to respond, the more Jack’s smile wavered.

When he took the notebook back, Jack sat back on his calves and folded his hands in his lap. He waited anxiously, wringing his fingers together while his eyes flitted from Hiccup’s hand to the boy’s face. Hiccup hated how Jack’s lips were twisting downwards, knowing that he was the reason that expression was there in the first place. His hand wavered, but finally Hiccup put his pencil to the paper.

'I didn’t want to ask but,'

Jack took a sharp inhale through his nose and gripped his hands together with enough force to turn his knuckles white. 

'Can you hear me?'

 

There was a moment where warm chocolate eyes met sharp green that Hiccup thought it was he who was deaf, and not Jack. The silence was deafening as he watched Jack’s expression fall, and hurt flash across his every feature. His eyes poured over the page, rereading the sentence as if he could will it to say anything else. Hiccup sat with his heart in his throat, fingers clutching almost desperately onto the notebook while he waited for Jack to give him a response.

Slowly Jack shook his head, as if his answer carried the weight of the world. It was such a small gesture, but in it it proved all of Hiccup’s suspicions. Jack looked down at his hands, as if only now realizing what he had been doing. He released his hold, leaving his fingers with angry red marks from where he had been wringing them, and reached out, taking back his notebook with quivering hands.

'Im sorry.'

Was all Jack wrote before he threw his legs back over the seat and stomped his feet in to his shoes. Before Hiccup had a proper chance to react Jack had already snatched his notebook back and thrown his backpack back on his shoulders. He clutched the notebook close to his chest, and had taken all of two steps before he felt Hiccup’s hand tug at the pocket of his backpack. It was the first thing Hiccup could grab before Jack was out of his reach, and unconsciously he called out a soft ‘wait’ despite Jack not being able to hear it. 

The boy paused, sparing a glance behind him. “Wait.” Hiccup pled again, exaggerating each push and pull of his lips in the hopes Jack would understand him. “I am sorry.” Hiccup could feel Jack’s sigh as if it were his own. He released his hold on the backpack when the boy twisted to face him, eyes downcast and fingers twitching nervously.

“I didn’t want you to know yet.” Jack’s voice was heavy and thick, as if his tongue were too large for his mouth, and his words slurred in to one another. Hiccup found himself watching Jack’s lips as he spoke, surprised to hear so many words tumble out at once. He had almost expected for Jack to be unable to speak full sentences at all, and felt a touch of shock at the sound. Jack stalked forward, and perched on the edge of the window seat, eyes cast down at his feet as he ran his thin fingers through his hair, and stop at the nape of his neck. 

Hiccup’s hand hovered, fingers flexing before they reached out and brushed the edge of the notebook. He gently tugged at the corner closest to him until Jack released his hold, watching nervously as Hiccup flipped to a fresh page.

'Why not?'

He asked, offering the pages to Jack, who hesitated before accepting both the notebook, and Hiccup’s pencil. 

'People treat you differently when you can’t hear. I wanted to be your friend before I was the deaf kid.'

Hiccup felt the weight of those words in his chest. He had wanted to write how Jack had no reason to worry, but deep down Hiccup knew that that was not that case. Only a short time ago he had been planning on sacrificing his daily routine if it meant he would not have to talk to, in Jack’s words, ‘the Deaf kid.’ He could only imagine what it would be like to live with that shadow forever looming his head. Hiccup began to write before he had a chance to stop himself. It sank in then that he had only known Jack for a day, and really he knew nothing about him outside his seemingly endless supply of trivial information. 

'Who says we cant be friends still?'

Jack smiled, although this time the action did not meet his eyes. He shrugged off his backpack and heaved a great sigh before twisting his body to face Hiccup. Although his form was not nearly as at ease as he was when Hiccup first arrived, it was soothing in a way to see some of the tension ebb away from Jack’s lanky body. 

'I would like that.'

Jack paused, holding on to the notebook with the pencil hovering over the sentence like he wanted to write more. He stared so hard at the paper, Hiccup was certain smoke would soon start curling at the edges of the words. Whatever it was Jack wanted to write however, he kept it to himself as he handed over the notebook with a tired smile.


	3. Chapter 3

If Hiccup were to describe his perfect Saturday, it would begin at some point after two in the afternoon, and it would most certainly not include waking up to the sound of potato chips being crunched. He also could do without the weight of someone’s legs tossed over the small of his back, or the light seeping in through the duvet that he had stubbornly pulled over his head, but at the moment Hiccup was not willing to be picky.

The smell of salt and vinegar was thick in the air, and the silence of the room only seemed to amplify the sound of the crunching. Hiccup curled his lip and let out a low growl. “Fishlegs, do you ever go home?”

“Not Fishlegs.” Replied a feminine voice. “Though, he poked his head through the window ‘bout and hour ago and gave me one of those yogurt drinks. You two have a weird relationship.”

Hiccup pulled back the duvet just enough to peer up at girl who had made herself comfortable on top of him. At some point while Hiccup was still asleep, Astrid had crawled onto Hiccup’s too small twin bed and leaned her back against the wall. As he suspected, her legs had been tossed unceremoniously over his back, and she appeared far too comfortable for Hiccup’s liking. Her hand was deep inside a bag of potato chips, and their eyes met as she brought another chip to her mouth.

The girl chewed slowly, and waited for Hiccup to think of a response. When none came, she took her hand and wiped it on blanket just above the boy’s shoulder. Hiccup glared, although being swaddled as he was in his blue striped duvet, the action did not have its desired effect. “And what, pray-tell, are you doing here?” He asked.

Astrid shrugged, crumpling up the now empty potato chip bag. Effortlessly, she tossed the bag, aiming for the trash can sitting by his desk. It sailed through the air, and like it had a mind of its own, landed exactly where it was meant to be. “Was hoping to wake you up, but you’re a really deep sleeper.”

Hiccup sighed, and rolled over so he laid on his back. “Yeah… I get that a lot...” Above his head were an array of glow in the dark stars that he and Fishlegs had stuck to his ceiling when they were only children. He counted each one, silently asking them if it would be worth it to get up and out of bed when his mattress was so soft. “What are the odds of you letting me go back to sleep?” He asked, turning his attention to Astrid. The girl flipped her braid over her shoulder and shuffled her body back over Hiccup’s legs until her feet met the floor. 

“Slim to none.” She replied. Without warning, she gripped the edge of Hiccup’s blanket and gave it a hard yank. Hiccup was left defenseless to the cool air, and curled himself into a ball in a feeble attempt to conserve what little warmth he had left. 

“Nooo…” He whined, burying his head beneath his pillow, much to Astrid’s amusement. The girl set a hand on her hip and smirked down at the sight. 

“Come on.” She cooed, as if talking to a child. Her hand found Hiccup’s pillow just as the boy had tightened his grip on it. “It’s almost eleven, and the day is half over.” With one swift movement, the pillow was tugged from Hiccup’s seemingly iron grip. He sighed again, glaring up at the stars on the ceiling as if it were their fault any of this was happening. Astrid held the pillow under one arm, and used her free hand to pat the top of Hiccup’s head in a condescending manner. 

“You and I have two very different definitions of what ‘half over’ means.” He remarked, going limp as Astrid’s hand gripped the front of his shirt. As if she were only picking up a child, Astrid pulled Hiccup in to a sitting position. From his new angle, Hiccup could now see that not only had Astrid turned on all his lights, she had also appeared to have rifled through his drawers. Clothes were tossed in every direction, including on top of his work desk. “What exactly were you looking for?” He asked, tossing his legs over the side of the bed.

“I got bored, so I thought I’d pick your outfit for the day. You boys are gross, I’m pretty sure I saw you wear that same shirt you’re sleeping in three times this week.” 

Hiccup gripped the hem of his shirt and stared down at it, trying to pick out what it was that Astrid found so offensive. “It’s still clean I think.”

Astrid rolled her eyes. “No. No it’s not Hiccup. If you sweat, you shower. And if you can’t do that, you at least change your clothes.”

“It’s a good thing I go out of my way to avoid sweating then.” Hiccup padded over to his desk and picked up the shirt that had been haphazardly tossed over his homework, and several vinyl figurines. Out of habit he gave the shirt a tentative sniff, an action which caused Astrid to curl her nose.

“Of course I picked out something clean for you to wear. No need to sniff it you dingus.”

Hiccup shrugged. “Never hurts to be cautious.” The boy turned his back and pulled the shirt he had been sleeping in over his head, before replacing it with the one Astrid had selected for him. He wouldn’t admit it, but the soft cotton had felt a considerable amount better against his skin than what he had previously been wearing. “I’m going to change my pants, so you better leave.”

“You must be joking.” Astrid huffed. When Hiccup gave her a pointed look, she sighed and sat herself on the boy’s bed, and then pulled the duvet over her head. “You are such a baby.”

Hiccup’s cheeks took on a reddish hue as he slid his pajama pants off his legs. “I’m not a baby. I just don’t like when people watch me change. I’m not into voyeurism.”

“You don’t even know what voyeurism means.” Astrid’s voice was muffled from her hiding spot.

“I do so.” Hiccup pulled up his jeans and sucked in his stomach to do up the button. “It’s like, people getting their rocks off on watching others change, and stuff like that. You can look now by the way.”

Astrid pulled off the blanket, her perfect braid now a mess from the static. “Close enough.” She muttered, smoothing a hand over her hair. “Can we go now?”

Hiccup bent down to pick up his crumbled duvet. “Go where?” He asked. Astrid wordlessly moved so Hiccup could make his bed. 

“Out of course.” She handed him a pillow once his sheets were smoothed. “Camicaze got herself grounded again, so I’m dying of boredom. I was thinking the mall?”

Peering over his shoulder, Hiccup arched a brow in Astrid’s direction. “Again?” He asked. “What did she do this time?”

“Bit some kid during lunch. Though, I can’t be too disappointed in her. I was the same way at her age.”

This gave Hiccup reason to pause. He set down his pillow and turned to face Astrid, features screwed up in concern. “Aren’t you only like, two years older than her?”

Astrid shrugged, having become preoccupied with fixing her hair in the mirror hanging behind Hiccup’s bedroom door. “Yeah, but thats okay though.” 

“.... I see.”

000

 

At least a full hour had passed by the time Hiccup was deemed fit by Astrid’s standards to face the outside world. While they sat on the faded bus seats, Hiccup had begun to fiddle with the small braid his friend had insisted on putting in his freshly combed hair. This had earned him a slap to the arm when Astrid saw this.

“Don’t take it out.” She demanded. They had been sitting on the bus for nearly a full forty-five minutes, and Astrid had begun to grow restless. She had been bouncing her leg insistently for at least half the time they had been on the bus, and while Hiccup had begun to grow irritated with this, he dared not say anything on it. 

“You tied them too tight.” Hiccup grumbled, forcing his hands away from his hair. For lack of anything else to do with them, he folded his hands neatly in his lap.

“They look cute. Leave them in.”

“I don’t want to look cute, I want to look like a man.”

Astrid scoffed. “Your dad sometimes wears a braid.”

“Yes, but my dad is also a giant Viking, and one of his hands is the size of my head. Pretty sure he could dress as a ballerina and no one would say anything.”

At this Astrid began to giggle, which soon had Hiccup imagining the very image he described. Both of them dissolved into fits of laughter that carried on even after they reached their stop.

“Could you imagine?” Astrid asked, performing an incredibly sloppy pirouette once her foot found the concrete. Her skirt fluttered around her, and she deepened her voice as she attempted a rather pathetic excuse for an Icelandic accent. “Och, Hamish m’ boy!” She chortled, holding her arms out like the wings of a bird. 

“That sounds more Scottish than anything, but I’ll let you have that one.” Hiccup said between giggles. He linked his arm with Astrid’s and lead her away from the handful of people who were also getting off the bus. The girl stumbled, but did not show any signs of caring, entertained as she was by her new game.

As one would expect for a Saturday afternoon, the shopping mall was flooded with people. Hiccup curled his nose and let out a soft groan, already plotting how to get this day over and done with as quickly and painlessly as possible. “Remind me why this place is so ‘fun’ again?” He asked, pressing himself closer to Astrid’s side to avoid a mother with her stroller. 

Astrid shrugged. “Shopping, food, chaos. The mall has the whole package. Plus, I was kind of in the mood for Chipotle while we’re here.” 

“Since when did they open a Chipotle?”

“We really need to get you out of that library more often.”

With Hiccup leading the way, the pair found themselves sticking close the walls and away from the majority of the crowds. Astrid was all too happy with this, her pale blue eyes scanning every window and display for the next exciting thing to catch her interest. It wasn’t until Astrid suddenly stopped, and caused Hiccup to stumble while she peered up at a display of bras, that Hiccup continued. “There’s nothing wrong with the library. Lots of interesting things can happen there.” He argued, stubbornly staring down at his shoes.

“Such as?” Astrid asked as her hand began to cup at one of her breasts.

“W-well… I met a person! And what the hell are you doing?”

The girl paused, glancing down at her hand, then back at Hiccup. “I think I need a different bra size, but go on. Tell me about the apparent living, breathing person that still uses a library.”

Hiccup’s face had taken on a deep reddish hue, and he wasted no time in pulling his friend away from the store all together. “You can do that when I’m not here.” He decided out loud. “You have a sister. Abuse her.”

“First off, my sister barely counts as a human. I’m pretty sure our mom just plucked her out of the ocean at low tide; and second, don’t stop telling me about you’re enthralling library adventures!” If Astrid had wanted to, she could have dug in her heels and forced Hiccup in to the store, but at the moment she was caught up in another fit of giggles and was all too happy to harass her friend verbally. “Did they have goat legs and lead you into a wardrobe?”

Hiccup slowed his steps once he was certain they were a safe distance away from the offending store. “Lucy met Mr.Tumnus after she entered the wardrobe, although I’m flattered that you actually read my book suggestion. And I’ll have you know that Jack does not have goat legs, but rather very real people legs.”

“Oh so they’re a ‘He?’ Did you make out?” Astrid asked, eyes shimmering with mischief.

Hiccup was aghast, his own eyes widening and lips turning downwards in a petulant frown. “No we did not make out! You and Fish I swear. Why is it that when I meet boy, ‘did we make out’ is the first question either of you ask?”

Astrid’s giggles erupted into full force laughter. She threw her head back and had to stop walking so that she did not bump into anything. “Fishlegs asked that too? I must be on to something!” 

“You are on to absolutely nothing.” Hiccup argued with a stomp of his foot. “I am allowed to meet other people without romance being in the question.” The pair were forced to move again when a man with his arms weighed down with shopping bags pushed his way past them. “My life is not like one of your fanfictions. I won’t just fall in love with someone I just met.”

Astrid rolled her eyes. “Leave my fanfictions out of this. I’ll have you know that there are some very talented writers out there that-”

“-and I prefer my reading to not revolve around whether or not two volleyball players kiss or not.” Hiccup threw his hands up in the air dramatically. “My point is that I met a person, who happens to like sitting in my window seat, and who happens to be surprisingly fun to talk to, and knows enough about the history of drugs to be mildly concerning.”

“You’re getting awfully defensive Hiccup.” Astrid cooed as she slipped a hand around his narrow waist. It was like this that she guided him to a colourful shop with stuffed animals lining the windows. “Would building a bear make you feel better?”

Hiccup was not done his rant though. “No. Because you won’t let me put the velociraptor sound box in, and I’m too hungry and offended to build a bear right now.”

“I told you before, you can’t do that because the cat doesn’t make a velociraptor sound, so it doesn’t make sense. Although, you being ‘hangry’ does, so let’s get you something to eat.”

Hiccup crossed his arms. “Fine. But I don’t want Chipotle.”

 

000

Just like the rest of the mall had been, the food court was a buzz of activity. Hiccup whined and bounced from foot to foot, taking advantage of the irritation beginning to roll off his friend in waves. “You’re worse than a toddler when you’re hungry, did you know that?” Astrid asked, taking Hiccup’s hand in hers. Her fingers while warm, were rough from calluses and spoke a silent demand for Hiccup to be still. A demand which the boy actively chose to ignore.

“I want KFC.” Hiccup decided out loud. He gave Astrid’s hand a tug and tried to pull her in the direction of the throngs of people. This time the girl refused to be moved, and tossed her head back as if she were a child’s doll. 

“Noooo…” She whined, letting her upper body go limp in Hiccup’s grasp. “It’s too greasy. It’s gonna make me break out.”

“No one said you had to eat it.” Hiccup argued, giving her arm another stubborn tug. “Just go to another stall or something. Let me have my gravy!” 

“When I’m in hell!” Without warning Astrid threw herself forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Hiccup’s waist. Hiccup let out an undignified yelp (that he would later deny ever making) when he felt his feet leave the ground. He set his hands on Astrid’s shoulders and kicked his legs feebly while a group of elderly women walked by, tittering to themselves at the sight. 

“You said you would stop doing that!” Hiccup squawked, voice shooting up several octaves in his surprise. Astrid meanwhile was losing herself in a fit of triumphant snickers, and marched forward with a wobbly gait. 

“Never trust a Hofferson!” She declared, uncaring of the glares being shot her way by the strangers that they passed. “We’re too sneaky!”

Hiccup groaned. “Hoffersons are also huge, gaping assholes!” The one positive that came from his new vantage point, was that now if Hiccup strained his neck over the crowds of people, he could pick out an empty table on the far end of the food court. “Now put me down if you want to actually sit down to eat. There’s a spot over by the Chinese place if we hurry.” He said, giving Astrid’s shoulder a firm slap.

“The magic words.” With the same speed that she had picked him up, Astrid dropped Hiccup back on to his feet. She took his hand once more, and steered the boy through the crowd with almost frightening precision. Hiccup had always been impressed with how quickly Astrid had managed to get to each of her classes in school, and from his current perspective he felt he finally understood how she did it. The girl darted in-between groups of people as if she were a fish avoiding the net. While a few curses were tossed at them, the pair had yet to bump in to anyone; until Hiccup stopped dead in his tracks. 

Forgetting that she had been very much attached to someone, Astrid stumbled backwards and bumped into Hiccup when he stopped. “A Little warning would be nice.” She hissed, using her free arm to give the boy a hard shove. Hiccup grunted from the force, but did not recoil. His eyes were focused on something several yards ahead of them, and squinting through the crowds he could only just make out a familiar flash of blue and white.

“Hold up, I think that’s him.” Hiccup mumbled, momentarily forgetting that Astrid had been with him. The girl stood on her tiptoes, bobbing her head like a snake in an attempt to catch a glimpse at what had caught her friend’s attention. 

“Who’s who?” She asked squinting in determination. Hiccup lead her forward a few steps before forcing her to duck with him behind a display of decorative plants.

“Jack.” He replied, peering through the foliage. “At least I think it is.” It was difficult to tell from where they were hiding, but if Hiccup concentrated hard enough he could make out the familiar blue of the pull-over Jack seemed to exclusively wear, and flash of silver white hair. “I mean, not a lot of people go for the old man look with white hair, so it should be him.”

“Fascinating.” Astrid arched her neck and peeked over the leaves. Her eyes however trained on the man sharing a table Jack, whose hands were moving in an animated flurry of motion. “He’s handsome.” She chirped, her lips turning upwards into a grin. “Nice jawline, lots of muscles; tattoos are a bit much, but I must say: you have nice taste.”

“What?” Hiccup followed Astrid’s line of vision and pinched her waist when he discovered who she was looking at. “Not the big guy! I don’t know who that is, but he looks like he snorts protein powder for breakfast. I meant Jack, the one in blue!”

Astrid’s features fell. “Oh. I should have known you would make friends with the q-tip. I guess he does look more like the library type. Why are we hiding by the way?”

“I don’t know, I panicked!” As if only now realizing the absurdity of the situation, Hiccup stepped out from his hiding spot and smoothed a hand over his hair. “Would it be weird if I said hi? I’ve only really spoken to him twice, and I’m pretty sure I offended him yesterday.”

Astrid shrugged her shoulders. “Knowing you, if you don’t at least try you’ll be obsessing all day, so go for it.”

“Yeah, but what if we’re not friends enough?”

“You’re not gonna be ‘friends enough’ if you don’t say hi.”

“Would it be weird though?”

“Weirder than hiding behind a bush?” Astrid set her hands on Hiccup’s shoulders and forcibly turned him around to face Jack’s table. “Impossible.”


End file.
